


Rottweiler

by whorror_jpeg



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Art, Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Chronic Illness, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Family Issues, Family Member Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love, Love Confessions, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Sex, Mild Smut, Protective Billy Hargrove, References to Supernatural (TV), Sad, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Smut, Teasing, Triggers, Violence, friendly teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 06:04:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15136727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whorror_jpeg/pseuds/whorror_jpeg
Summary: How much are you really willing to risk for him? Your art? Your grades? Your social status? Your relationship with your uncle, chief of police?





	1. Playlist

[Spotify](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fuser%2Fchloeelsiehall%2Fplaylist%2F4JUW9lw0oAMnXmoKy3l7cI%3Fsi%3D3otBc-rRQCCRFqExDMz2_w&t=ZDkxODk2NTBhZmMyOGZmMGI5MDQxZDI4NzQ1MzVkNmNjY2NhZTdlMSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)

[A Lovely Mess](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FwU1hK8XXRcQ&t=YTQ3YzE2NTEwYWIwNzk5OWJjNTkxYmE4OWVmZTY1YjlhNGI0NDZlMSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Front Porch Step

[All I Want Is You](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F6uM2D8wVV9w&t=YjJlM2Y1OThlYTBlMjJjNTY4YzE2MjM1MDZhYzU0NTIzM2VkMTQ2ZSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Barry Louis Polisar

[A Part Of Me](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F50ulyAHlEmo&t=Y2FjOWJkMGViNmQ2NjViNDlkNWU1NDcxYjc1YjZhYmUxZmRhOTBjNyxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Neck Deep

[Baby, Please](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FnBd-XvUu1qY&t=YjM2MmQxMDQwMjYwNzgyYTBiZTBmODlhMjY3MWQzMzg4NDgyN2JjMCxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Black Pool

[Blue// Marina and The Diamonds](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F3ZfG1_h-sP8&t=NGY5NTRiOTgzNDY5NzFiNTA1ZGIzYjg1NjRkN2NmZTZiNzk2ZGYyMSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)

[Clairvoyant](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FAG-dEWgGSc8&t=MmVhN2Q1YTFkZmMwZmI4ODZlNjQ5YTcxNGUxMGIyNzE4Y2Q4ZTRjYSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// The Story So Far

[Creep](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D8WRqTxMpzpk&t=ZjJkNmNmZGYyZDlhMWYxYzc2OTUwNDgyYjg2M2Y4ZjQ3NGI1OTM4MCxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Radiohead (Melanie Martinez cover)

[Face Like Thunder](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcVImhAwCq_E&t=MzA2ZGYxNDM4ZGYxNTJhYmRkNWRhZDc5MDVmOWQzNjcyZWIwN2ExYSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// The Japanese House

[Favorite Record](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dah4rR7cAmsY&t=MGJjNGFmOWIwZWRjNTYxNWE5MmM3NDIyNDI4NzNjZTdjMjQzZjE1YyxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Fall Out Boy

[Follow You](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DjhwdXmrvUdw&t=M2Q1MDY3NDQ5NDJlYWEzNzZlODMwNzMzYzFiODAzMjFiNmYwNzM0NyxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Bring Me The Horizon

[Honey Bee](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FTlMRjYaj1Z0&t=YjY0YjJiYjUzMThmNGE2YzBlYWM5Y2I2M2NlYTRiYTU2MmZiYTFmMCxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Seahaven

[Hope](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DM1hdIEx7tyY&t=YzFiMDVlZjBhOGJkNTA4ZjQxMWYwYmY2MjI0OGQ0NzY4MGZmYWZlYixFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Christian Akridge

[IDFC](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DVZFCXvAr-zQ&t=YzNiZGVmMTVjZjBkODQ4MzMwODFjOTEzODk2ZmJkN2JiMDk4NGY0NixFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Blackbear

[Ivy](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAE005nZeF-A&t=OTE2YjcxMjI1YTk5MDFhZTViMzY2MGEwM2UyYmM4MjJkODg3YWQwNCxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Frank Ocean

[Jesus Christ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcjPyvoLXPs4&t=NjEzMTY4M2M5NDg4YjVjNjYwMTNjYTRjZDQ5Nzc0Yzc0ZTg5N2I0MyxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Brand New

[Kiss Me](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYn9IAPgz3KE&t=YzU4ZWRiMjQ5MTNjZDcyYjMwY2YyNDc4YzJjMzI0ZDFkZjk4YzcxZixFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Ed Sheeran

[My Boy](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DZbyuDqWzmXU&t=YjNmZjU3YmNmNzE2YWExNWU2MTgzZDk1MWY3N2Q4MWZmNDEwY2M5NSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Billie Ellish

[My Girl](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dmy%2Bgirl%2Blyrics%26view%3Ddetail%26mid%3DC9F3A32784B6C9ACF3B3C9F3A32784B6C9ACF3B3%26FORM%3DVIRE&t=ZTJlZTM5YmUyYzcyMTMwNGJkM2VhMDA1NGJmMTEyYmNiOTg1MTcyZSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// The Temptations

[Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrXIIAvd3wKY&t=MWQ1Y2UwNWJiMjk5ZWY5NGEyNjg1ZjIwMDM4M2I1MmU0MDk2M2ZlMyxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Cigarettes After Sex

[Ocean Eyes](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dg42EghapeOc&t=OTRiNDI5Mjk3MGE0ZDkwNDQ0YzcyN2ZjZWQzMzY1Mzc5YWNjYWE0NixFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Billie Elish

[Only For You](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIx1t07maya0&t=OTVkM2M1MzI3MjEyNzVjZDUzZWZjZjcwM2ZjN2UzYTU5Y2Q2YmU1MyxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Heartless Bastards

[Past Lives](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F_VxvCjWAf3U&t=MGM3NDQ1YzQ2Y2Y0ZjQ1YzQ5ZWU4Mjg5MTVkMTMzNzhkZWQ2YzU4ZSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Borns

[Peach](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DF56WIVimCDA&t=ZDliYjYxZTI3OTc1MDA1ZDAzNTU3ZDAzMzFhZTQ3MWFlYmIzZTAzOSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// The Front Bottoms

[Robbers//The 1975](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FvAGnwOe9M14&t=NTk2YTBlZmRkM2I4M2ZmOGNmZDA1YzUzM2I4YTc4YjA2NGNlOGRhOSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)

[Sex](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dip4xmzTykFg&t=ZjgzN2RkNDc3ODYxNDA3OGVlNmZjODY4MDk4NWZlZTFhMTk0ZTYwZSxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Eden

[The Girl](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FmS8xDo-qM8w&t=ZWE4MDc2MzlmOTEwZDE2MWRkNDljY2JkYTI1MmRhNDBmNmJmNzgyNixFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// City And Colour

[Take Me Somewhere Nice](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMgq_EhrWvGw&t=OThhYjJmOGM0YTgyMWY2NjJiMTZlZmNmNGEzNGQwYzk5NDkyMDMwYyxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Mogwai

[Thinkin’ ‘Bout You](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCTUyABibswM&t=M2FmMzEyM2I0NmM3ZTY2YmJkMTRjMmVlNzA3YjQyNDJjMmQxOWI4OCxFQkJKSXVGbA%3D%3D&b=t%3AhBkHihJEk572QH4KtKhPLQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwhorror-jpeg.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F167924410078%2Frottweiler-playlist)// Frank Ocean


	2. One

The mantra you told yourself all the time was simply three words:  _boys are dogs_. You told Nancy it when she dated Steve Harrington, and even though Steve turned out to be a decent human being, and Jonathan was known to be the sweetest person ever, you still told yourself this. You had to, you didn’t have room for dating boys. You wanted an above average GPA, an art scholarship, and to get the  _hell_  out of Hawkins with your mom.

Your mother liked to pester you about dating, whereas your Uncle Jim threatened to  _shoot_  any boy that so much as held your hand. You didn’t mind either way.

And your mantra didn’t change for Billy Hargrove, who was the definition of hyper-masculinity and attention whore. At first, you figured he just wanted an ego boost, him asking you out even though you had said no  _eight times_. But then things became consistent. You tried to come up with excuses for everything, like him greeting you at your locker. He definitely had to have had his locker near yours, right?

You racked your brain for everything to give you a reason as to why Billy Hargrove was, for one thing, talking to you, and two, trying to get a date.

He cornered you while you were coming back from the bathroom, “C’mon, princess, why won’t you go out with me, huh? Will one date really kill you?”

You gave a petulant face, “I can give you a list of reasons, but I have history with Mr. McGill and he’ll be mad if he sees I’ve been gone for so long.”

You tried to leave, but Billy put his hand on the wall, trapping you.

“Tell him you had a mishap with a tampon,” he smirked. You raised your brows, angry.

“Okay, Hargrove. Wanna know why?” he nodded, “For starters, I’d rather  _fail a test_  than go on a date with you, and if you  _knew_  me, you’d understand how much my GPA means to me. Bouncing off that, I care more about my grades than dating sweaty, hormonal, and horny teenage boys. Lastly, my uncle is chief of police. He’d actually shoot you without a second thought and figure out how to cover it up if you, Billy Hargrove, so much as touched me.”

Billy paled visibly, swallowing hard.

“Did I make myself clear?”

He nodded, letting you go back to your classroom.

Unfortunately, you didn’t, apparently. Instead of attempting to get a date, he wolf-whistled and catcalled you in the halls, making you blush and try to get to class quicker.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Upon opening your locker and retrieving your sketchbook for art class, as well as your notebook for the class after, Carol and her bitch-party had come up to you and snatched the sketchbook out of your hands.

“Ooooh, what’s  _this_?”

“Carol, that’s not-”

She opened the Moleskine, looking through all the pages before rolling her eyes.

“You know where this belongs, girls?” her friends giggled, “In the  _trash_.”

She ran to the nearest garbage can, tearing out pages along the way, before throwing it away as the late bell rang. You looked at the scattered remains of your sketchbook,  tears welling up in your eyes. Carol went to leave, bumping your shoulder, “Maybe you should go ahead and hop in there too,  _geek_.”

Your tears finally fell as you went to the trash can, picking through the garbage to get to your book. You heard someone cough behind you, causing you to turn around.

There stood Billy Hargrove, a bruise adorning his cheek, holding all the torn pages.

You wiped your cheeks, giving a small thanks to him as you shoved the pages in your Moleskine and attempted to walk away.

“(Y/N), wait!”

You turned quickly, “Don’t think this changes shit, Hargrove. You’re still a fucking  _dog_.” you spat, stomping off, tears angrily streaming down your face as you wiped snot from your nose.

* * *

The news of your encounter with Carol had caught like wildfire and went out like a match. Still, this left you upset- depressed, really, over the loss of your sketchbook.

“(Y/N)!”

You sighed, recognizing the voice, “Can’t you leave me  _alone_ , Hargrove?”

He smirked, “Well, how would I give you this?”

Billy reached his hand out, offering a medium sized blue Moleskine journal, adorned with a red bow.

You looked at Billy, eyebrows furrowing, “If this is some sort of  _joke_  you’re playing, Hargrove, I don’t want anything to do with it.”

The boy huffed through his nose, “Quit your bitchin’ and take the damn book, (Y/L/N). This shit’s expensive and I can’t draw a stick figure,  _let alone_  what was in your old journal.”

You cautiously grasped the present and opened it up to find a slip of paper, reading  _“draw me sometime -Billy.”_

You smiled, closing the book.

“I’m an asshole, I know, but you didn’t deserve what Carol did.”

“All bark and no bite, hm?” you smiled, meeting his eyes.

“Woof.” he chuckled before walking off before the bell rang. This led to you actually gaining respect for the guy, having none previously. He was right, he was a  _complete_  and utter slobbery Rottweiler, but he could be nice. To you, at least.

* * *

When the day finished, you went to your uncle’s house instead of straight home. You appreciated the scenery around the cabin, as well as his adopted daughter and her taste in TV shows.

“Hi, uncle Jim! Hey El!” you smiled, happy to see the two of them.

“Present.” El pointed at your hand. The journal given to you by Billy still had its bow.

“Not for you, munchkin.” she pouted, then walked to the couch to continue her old movie.

“Who’s it from?” Hopper asked while he cooked bacon on their tiny stove for BLT’s.

“Just a friend,” you replied cheekily. Hopper turned around slowly- dangerously. You hated when he did that, it let you know he knew you were hiding something.

“A boyfriend?”

“ _Jesus_ , Hop, no! I mean, yeah it was a guy but-”

“What guy?” he turned completely and crossed his arms.

“Stop interrogating me!” you laughed at his seriousness, despite the cautious feelings letting you know you were treading on thin ice.

“What. Guy.”

You huffed, “Billy.”

“Hargrove?” he pushed, eyebrows coming together angrily.

You gave a defeated sigh, “Yeah Billy  _Hargrove_. But I have an explanation.” Hopper waited, raising his eyebrows, “He got it because some girl ruined my other one, okay? He was being nice.”

He hummed, not trusting you.

“That boy’s trouble, kid. Stay away from him.”

You snorted, “Yeah, like I  _wanted_  to talk to him before.”


	3. Two

“So, how’d you get that shiner, huh?” you asked. At this point, you didn’t even have to look to see it was him. It was, and it probably always would be.

“Oh,” he laughed a bit, “Tommy H. got a good swing in. You should see him, though.”

You turned to face him, the bruise now a greenish-yellow color.

“Mhm, I’m  _sure_  he looks bad.” you played, earning a glare. “Why are you following me around, huh?”

He crosses his arms and leans on the locker next to him, “Should I remind you what happened last time I wasn’t around?”

You gave a sardonic laugh, “Oh, so now you’re  _protecting_  me? While what you did was nice and all, I don’t need you hovering around me, okay?”

“Hey,” he gently grabbed your elbow as you were leaving, “Seriously. Be careful. Carol’s a bitch.”

You scoffed, giving him a disapproving shake of your head, and walking off.

He yelled at you, “I mean it, (Y/L/N)!”

“I can take care of myself, Hargrove!” you shouted over your shoulder, smiling.

* * *

In Physics, Jonathan Byers passed you a piece of folded up paper. You rolled your eyes when you read it.

_“What are you drawing today?”_

It was a thing he’d come up to unintentionally annoy you. He was a sweet boy, with very limited friends, as well as too curious for his own good.

You scribbled down a name next to the drawing and showed it to him, making him hold back a laugh. The drawing was different positions of the same, drooly, dumb Rottweiler, simply labeled as “ _Hargrove”._  Proud of yourself, you made the mental note of showing the dog-boy himself later on in the day. The two of you had gym together, anyway, and it’d be fun to see his reaction, you concurred.

The bell rang, you changed into your gym clothes, and brought your sketchbook outside and setting it near a  tree for later.

“Hargrove, (Y/L/N), come up here.” Coach Mac called. You and Billy both gave each other a look as if to ask  _“what the fuck did you do?”_

“Let’s race the two fastest runners, shall we?” Mac announced, earning an excited majority. You looked at Steve, who shrugged his shoulders, then turned to Billy, who smirked. Neither one of them were very much help at all.

“Yeah.  _Let’s_.” Billy starts, “I lose, you go on a date with me. You win, you get to do whatever.” he says quickly.

Without thinking, you nodded, going to the start of the track with Billy, waiting for the whistle.

It sounded, people cheered, and you ran. For a bit, Billy was even with you, even challenging you by going faster than him. And you beat him, by five seconds.

“I win, loser.” you panted, smiling. Billy walked coolly to you, smirking and sweating.

“You sure did.”

Your façade dropped, “What are you smiling for? You lost.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, remember the deal?” you nodded, “I lose, you gotta go on a date with me.”

You thought for a moment, then realized he was right. You groaned as he laughed at you.

“Eat shit,  _Hargrove_. I won’t have fun. You can’t make me.” you yell, going to grab your journal and take a shower as everyone else went to do what they desired, be it homework or talking.

He laughed harder, “Sure,  _Princess_.”

* * *

As the weekend approached closer, the knot in your stomach grew tighter, until Saturday came up. You dressed better than normal, making sure to grab a jacket, then ran down the stairs in a hurry, fearing your date would actually be a gentleman and knock on the door.

“Hey momma, got your meds taken care of for tonight?” you asked, tying your Chuck’s and tucking in the laces.

She hummed in approval, “Where you goin’ baby?”

You ran to the closet, grabbing an umbrella. The night decided to pour, leaving the roads dark and ominous.

“Out with a,” you hesitated, “ _A friend_.”

Your mother waved you off, telling you to be safe when you heard a honk.

You ran out, the rain starting to come back from its previous showers.

“Wow, I was worried you were gonna try to be a  _gentleman_ , Hargrove.” you joked when you got in, putting your seatbelt on. Billy was, for once, quiet, and smoking a cigarette. You couldn’t see him well in the lighting, the front porch light not providing much illumination.

You looked at him, “You okay?”

He blew out his smoke and started the car, muttering an ‘I’m fine’.

The ride to wherever you were going was too quiet. The boy, who preferred everything loud, especially his music, played no music at all, nor did he talk. And you were sick of it.

“Billy pull over.”

“Why?”

You rolled your eyes, “Just do it.”

He did as told, stopping at the side of an ongoing cow field and under a streetlight, parking.

You turned to him, “Look at me.”

He tilted his head back, sighing lightly, before turning to you.

“ _What’s wrong_.”

He arrogantly scoffed and turned away, going to turn the car back on, being stopped by you grabbing his hand. It was shaking.

“You can’t be doing this hot-and-cold  _bullshit_  with me, Hargrove. I will get out of this car and walk home right  _now_  if you don’t start talking.”

He stared at you for a bit, swallowed, then looked away again. You mumbled an ‘okay’ as you took off your seatbelt and got out of the car, walking back in the direction of your house. This was quickly followed by the sound of the car door opening and slamming shut, then boots running in your direction.

“Listen,” he grabbed your arm lightly, “I just, I got into a fight with my dad, okay? I guess I’m still pissed about it.”

You looked at him carefully. Now that his face was more illuminated, you could make out a split lip and a welt forming on his cheek.

“ _Just a fight?_  Billy, this isn’t  _just a fight_  with your dad!” you presented quietly, lightly putting a hand over his newly injured cheek.

“Listen, it’s not a big deal, okay? I was asking for it.”

“Billy, do you  _hear_   _yourself_? Your dad is _beating you_  and you’re coming up with excuses! You’re almost  _eighteen_!” you lightly put your hand on his shoulder. The rain began to pick up pace, and apparently so did Billy’s emotions.

Billy let out a shaky sigh, coming closer to you and resting his forehead on your shoulder, wrapping his arms around your waist, and frankly, you didn’t know what to do. The Billy Hargrove you knew wasn’t a crying, vulnerable teenage  _boy_. The Billy you knew was nearly full grown, strong-willed, primal, and hard-headed. He didn’t  _have_  emotion. Yet here he was, sobs racking his body as he hugged you closer to him. You lightly ran your fingernails up and down his back, another hand coming up to massage his head, equally as light.

“C’mon, Billy. I still owe you a date, yeah?”

You grabbed his face with both of your hands, tears streaming down his face and mucus lightly coming out of his nose. He nodded, opting to get out of the freezing rain and let you drive while he finished crying. The entire time, he never let up on holding your hand while you drove.

By the time you got to a small burger joint, Billy had stopped crying and rested his head on the window of the passenger door, slightly falling asleep, no doubt tired from his outburst.

You looked at him and rubbed his bicep after getting your hand free. He woke more and looked around, not knowing where he was.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m gonna get us food and we’ll drive to my house to eat, okay? We’re freezing.”

He nodded, laying his head back on the window and falling back asleep. You quickly got out of the car, coming into the restaurant, and was mindlessly greeted by Tommy H. And  _god_ , did he look like shit. An eye swollen over, his nose and lip were split, bruises adorning them and virtually the rest of his face.

You took your order, waiting on a barstool for the food to be made, all the while Tommy H stared at you from his place at the cash register.

“Hey, (Y/L/N).” you turned to him, “Keep your bitch of a boyfriend on a leash.”

You chuckled nervously, “I’m sorry?”

“Billy. Keep him on a fucking leash.” he aggressed as his co-worker gave you your food.

You gave Tommy the due money, “He’s not my boyfriend.” you whispered.

“Yeah? Well, he sure acts like it,” he yelled after you as you walked out to the car with your paper bag of food. You startled Billy when you got in, quickly cooing for him to fall back asleep until you got to your house.


	4. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda made the mother and father of the reader my own characters-- it added to the story that is needed later on.

When you arrived, you woke Billy, who was quietly snoring.

“Hey sleepy, let’s get inside,” you said, grabbing the food and his keys. Billy staggered out of the car, dazed, as you walked with him up your driveway through the rain. He was fully awake by the time you’d gotten inside.

You turned to him, “Stay here. I’m gonna go get you some clothes and change, and tell my mom you’re staying the night.” he looked at you bewildered, and before he could say anything, you spoke again, “ _You’re not staying in that house_ , Billy. Not tonight.”

And without another word, you climbed the stairs, heading for your mom’s room. She was in bed, reading a book.

“Hey mom, don’t freak out.”

Your mother put her book down, took off her glasses, and looked at you, waiting for a response.

“A boy is staying the night,” you looked at her, waiting for a reaction, “ _in the guest room_ … he just needs a place to stay tonight. Please don’t be mad.”  
  
“(Y/N).”

You looked at her, playing with your fingernails.

“It’s okay.”

You smiled, thanking her, then grabbing some large sweatpants. You went to your closet, looking through to find a too large shirt. You sighed, finding your dad’s old Mets shirt and grabbed it.

When you went back downstairs, Billy was going through the food, spreading it on the table. You watched him for a bit, noticing he was still shaking, and walked up to him, taking the wrapped burger from his hands. He looked at you, brows crossing.

“Go shower. You’re shaking. I’ll heat your food up when you get back.” you said, handing the clothes to him, “You can keep the sweatpants. Believe it or not, I don’t keep boy’s underwear in my underwear drawer.” you joked. Billy got a sly smirk, which you immediately caught, “Hargrove you  _better_  pick your next words very carefully.”

He stood up close to you so it had made him stare down at you, “What are you gonna do about it,  _princess_?”

You stared at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as he simultaneously put a hand on your hip and leaned in slightly.

“ _Well?_ ”

Your breathing caught up to you, and you came back to your senses. You put a hand on his chest and pushed yourself back lightly.

“Go shower, you smell like a wet dog,” you said, attempting to lighten the air, yet you still couldn’t bring yourself to meet his gaze.

Billy gave a wispy laugh, sliding his hand off of his second position (the front of your hip bone) slowly and going up the stairs to find your bathroom.

What had just happened?

One minute Billy was a shivering kid in need of a warm place, the next he’s back to the flirty Billy. This wasn’t like all of his other attempts, though, you knew his attempts. They were calculated for stupid girls he already had, they were for sex. But you weren’t stupid, and he didn’t have you, and he most certainly wasn’t going to be getting in your pants.

You put both of your meals in the microwave and went to shower in your mom’s shower, you finished first of course and went back down the stairs to wait for Billy to get out of the shower.

Billy came down, eventually, toweling his hair off, “I didn’t know you were a Mets fan.” he smiled as you turned to him.

“I’m not, my dad was.”

He nodded, not asking any questions, which you appreciated. You meant to say ‘ _is_ ’, but it came out as ‘ _was_ ’. And this made a part of you wither silently.

“Alright, I’m hungry and fully awake.” he smiled at you, going back to the kitchen. You rolled your eyes and got up as he was looking through the kitchen. You watched, amused, as he looked through the kitchen in search of his stupid burger.

“You gonna stand there or are you gonna tell me where our food’s at?” he looked at you, giving up.

“Billy Hargrove, you are literally the most dog-like person I know.” you shook your head and went to the microwave, grabbing the food.

“Oh yeah?” he sat down at the table, grinning, “what dog would I be?” you answered him, mumbling ‘Rottweiler’.  
“A Rottweiler?”

You rolled your eyes and sat with him, “Yeah. You look super scary and then someone meets you and realizes you’re just a slobbery, squishy-headed puppy dog.”

Now it was Billy’s turn to roll his eyes, making you laugh, as he was in mid-bite. Then, the two of you quietly enjoyed your meal. The next time you look up, Billy had scarfed down his burger and was currently wiping his mouth.

“Did you even taste that?!”

He snorted, nodding, then closed his eyes while leaning back in his chair, “Nice first date, huh?” he scoffs at himself, or rather the situations that happened in the span of a couple of hours.

You shake your head, disagreeing with his sarcasm, “No Billy, it was good. It  _really_  was. Not the most dreamed of date, but I like this. I really do.”

Billy opens his eyes and looks at you in confusion, “How the hell is this a good date?”

You shrug, “It has a sort of sincerity to it.” you watch Billy lean forward in his chair, “You know, just because a date doesn’t end in sex doesn’t make it a bad date. You might not be used to it, but it’s endearing, even if I  _did_  just watch you inhale a cheeseburger.”

Billy laughs and you smile down at your hands before getting up and collecting the trash to throw it away.

As the evening passes on, you find yourself falling asleep on the couch with Billy while watching a movie, who had somehow managed to lay his head on your shoulder and, consequently, fallen asleep. Seeing Billy like this was comforting, and truth be told, you  _did_  find him attractive, especially when he wasn’t opening his goddamn mouth.

You shook his shoulder a bit, making him groan, “Hey, you’re drooling on my shoulder.”

“No, I’m not,” he mumbled sleepily, his voice raspy.

“ _Up_!” you complained, pushing your shoulder up to make him uncomfortable.

“Jesus, okay, I’m up.” he pushed himself off the couch and stretched, groaning.

He followed you upstairs and to your room, and immediately started looking at your displays on your walls.

“You like Nightmare on Elm Street?” he asked, eyebrow quirked as he smiled, “Ain’t that scary?”

“Not to me.” you shrugged, watching him go to the painting displayed on one of your walls and looking at it, along with the Polaroid's of your dad. You anticipated him asking about your father, but the question never came. Instead, he explored your music collection, then your sketchbooks.

“You ever use the one I gave you?” he asked, looking at you expectantly.

You hummed, getting it out of your backpack, “I drew you.” you said mischievously. He frowned, coming to sit on your bed with you. You opened the page that held the dog sketches. He barked out a laugh, lightly taking the book from your hands.

“You’re somethin’ else, (Y/L/N).” he shook his head before handing the book back to you.

“You’re a lot of trouble, Hargrove.” you joked. You two sat quietly for a moment before Billy took your hand, running his thumb over your knuckles.

“Thank you,” he whispered, clenching his jaw nervously. You looked at him, watching him examine your hand. He looked up at you, a calm but exhausted look in his eyes. You got up, leaving your hands connected, and took him to the guest room. He opened the door, stopping and turning in the threshold.

“Goodnight, (Y/N).”

You reached up, running your fingers over the welt of his cheek, which had significantly calmed, and kissed his other cheek. He looked down at you, searching your eyes as you pulled away and dropped your hand.

“Goodnight, Billy,” you said quietly, smiling lightly, before walking back to your room and shutting the door.


	5. Four

Billy had left before you’d woken up, leaving the bed a mess, as expected, but left a thank you note, explaining he had to take his stepsister to the arcade and asked to give your mom thanks, as she’d washed and dried his clothes for him.

You walked down the stairs, greeting your mom.

“He’s a nice boy, (Y/N),” she said mindlessly while cooking soup for your visit to Hopper’s cabin.

“ _He_  doesn’t seem to think so.” you sighed, stealing a taste of the soup.

Your mom frowned, “Why’s that?”

“Just something about his body language, the way he presents himself, how he acts in public. I dunno.”

“You’ve got your dad’s intuition, kiddo. You’re gonna notice things.” she smiled, petting your hair, “I used to get so mad at John. He knew when I was keeping a secret.”

You smiled lightly, adding some spice to the soup.

“I knew it needed more of something,” she says, watching you add more garlic salt to the mixture.

“Mama, do you ever see two different sides to people?”

“Of course.”

You sat up on the counter, “Well, with Billy, he’s… an  _asshole_ , frankly, when he’s at school. But, he told me something last night that gave some sort of explanation, and…  _Mama_ , he broke down in front of me. I’m not excusing his behavior, but watching him cry on me was the  _saddest_  thing I’ve seen a seventeen-year-old boy do.”

“It’s not the  _saddest_ , (Y/N). It’s the  _strongest_. And, Billy, was it? He  _trusts_  you.”

“But we barely talked before-”

She shook her head, smiling, “His inner-self trusts you.”

You groaned, “Mom, you’re such a hippie sometimes.”

She laughed, “Baby, I’m saying this now, you’re seventeen, and he’s the first person you went on a date with. Keep doing it.”

“Did you take your medicine today, Mama?” you half-joked, aiming to change the subject. She nodded, kissing your cheek after you jumped off the counter.

“I’ll go start the car.”

The two of you arrived at your uncle’s cabin, being greeted by your cousin.

You smiled at her, “Hey El, how’s it going?” you ruffled her hair while holding the pot of soup in one hand, making her smile brightly.

“Hey Mary,” Jim greeted, “Hey kid.”

“Ya know, this ‘ _kid’_  has a name, Uncle Jim.” you giggled, setting down the soup on the table, “Some people would consider you a bad uncle for not remembering your niece’s name.”

“Yeah, whatever.” he poked, hugging you tightly.

The four of you sat together at the table after Hopper put the soup on the stove to reheat. Eleanor had brought over a deck of Uno and was currently being taught by your mom how to shuffle and deal.

“So,  _(Y/N),_  how was your week? You didn’t visit as much as you usually do.” Hopper asked.

“Ahh, it was hectic. My art project is due next month for the art show and I still have no idea what I’m doing.” you laughed, hiding your events with Billy.

Hopper nodded, and that’s when your mother spoke up.

“She went on a date!”

Hopper looked at her, then back at you, expectantly.

“With who?”

“A guy from gym class.” you tried to shrug off.

“You didn’t tell me you had a class with Billy?” your mom asked, making your heart rate increase. Jim’s body turned completely to you.

“ _Billy_? As in _Billy Hargrove_?!”

You tried to excuse the situation but was ultimately interrupted by your uncle.

“What did I say about that boy?” he growled, “Do you understand how many tickets I’ve written him? How many times he ended up staying the night at the station because he was beating up some kid?”

“Can we  _not_  do this in front of them?” you asked quietly, not meeting his stare.

“Billy’s been arrested?” your mom asked.

“Mary, you weren’t aware of anything this boy’s done?”

“Jesus Christ,  _Jim_! Can you  _not_  talk about someone you  _don’t_ know?” you yelled, then sighed, going to leave, “I’ll be back.”

You got in your car and drove off mindlessly, eventually reaching a convenience store.

“Hey, princess.”

You jumped, turning to see Billy smirking.

“Oh my god, Billy, learn to not sneak up on people, would you?!” you scolded, holding your chest.

Billy raised his hands in surrender, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” he laughed, making you glare at him.

“What are you doing here anyway, Hargrove?”

“Buying cancer sticks and a soda. What about you?”

You hugged yourself and looked down, “Getting away from my uncle while we’re supposed to have family game night.” you chuckled.

Billy hummed, thinking for a second, “Wanna go somewhere? Hangout?”   
You looked at his face, it was healing well. The bruise from Tommy H. had disappeared, more or less, and the wounds his father had left had begun to turn green.

“Yeah, actually.”

You ended up at an empty park with the Hargrove boy about a block from the convenience store, a comfortable silence between the two of you as you sat on the playground swing while Billy lit up.

“You want one?” he offered, making you laugh.

“No thanks. I’m trying to get away from my family, not kill myself.”

“Whatever.” he shrugged, sitting on the swing next to you, the silence taking back over.

You turned to him, seeing he was already looking at you.

“It’s rude to stare.” you teased.

Billy blew off your comment, “You’re really pretty, ya know that?”

You scoffed and looked away, “ _Please_.”

“I’m serious. You’re not like the girls at our school.” he shrugged, looking at his lap.

“Well, yeah, go figure.”

“You’re better,” he said quietly, making you look back at him.

_“Billy Hargrove, are you blushing?”_

He snapped his head back to you, “The fuck, no! Stop making fun of me, I’m trying to be serious!”

“You wouldn’t be getting so defensive if I was wrong!” you laughed, poking his side. He grabbed onto your swing’s rope, pulling you closer, smiling, before pushing you back, making you squeal.

Billy got up, going to the sidewalk and tossing his cigarette butt into the road, you following.

Without looking at you, he started talking.

“You know, you make it  _really_  hard to not like you.”

Your face scrunched up in confusion, “How?”

Billy clenched his jaw, something you noticed he started to do when he was nervous, “I wasn’t lying before. You’re pretty. There’s a whole lot about you that is.”

You rolled your eyes, “I’m about to announce to Hawkins what a hopeless romantic you are, Hargrove.”

He turned to you, smiling, “No you’re not.”

“I’ll do it, Hargrove. I really will.”

“You’re too shy,” he smirked. You smirked back and inhaled deeply.

“ATTENTION HAWKINS! BILLY HARGROVE IS A-”

Billy clamped his hand over your mouth, a look of dread, surprise, and fright mixed into his face as he shushed you and looked around while you laughed through his hand, making him laugh along. He dropped his hand slowly, before resting it on your hip.

“You’re too much for your own good, (Y/N).”

You looked at him, grinning ear to ear, watching his face turn calmer, a bit more serious.

“ _Can I kiss you?_ ” he asked.

This took you by surprise. Not the want of intimacy from him, but simply the question. The question of permission was foreign to someone like Billy Hargrove, so where was this coming from, truly?

“ _Yes_ ,” you replied quietly, meeting his intense gaze.

Billy cupped your cheek softly, and leaned in closely, but not enough to connect the two of you. He waited for you to finish off the space. And you did.

The kiss was soft, not something you’d seen him do with his other flings. Billy was a rough guy, and he showed it through the way he kissed in the halls. But now? He was gentle, and brought his body closer to yours instead of pulling you to him and pet your cheek with his thumb softly. You put a hand against his chest and another around his neck, pulling him closer. Billy was the one to break the kiss, looking astounded before smiling lightly at you and pecking your lips again before stepping back lightly.

“We need to head back, yeah?” he asked, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear. You nodded, beginning to walk forward as he let go of your hip. You felt his hand brush your arm, wanting to hold your hand, so you did as he kissed the top of your head.

“Who knew you’d be a softie, huh?” you asked, looking up at him.

He bumped his shoulder against yours, smiling like an idiot. The two of you walked, small talking along the way to your cars.

“This is me.” you said lightly getting to your car, “I’m gonna have to go face the awkwardness sooner or later.”

Billy laughed, nervous for you, “Good luck with that.” he leaned down and kissed you again.

“Bye Billy,” you mumbled against his lips.

He backed up, watching you get in your car and drive off, a smile tugging at his lips.


	6. Five

You arrived back at the house, being greeted by your mom. Not saying anything, you sat at the table and ate dinner, Hopper staring at you.

“(Y/N)-” he began.

“If you’re gonna talk about him again, I’m walking home.” you interrupted, not looking at him. Hopper huffed, taking another spoonful of food. Eleanor was already done with her food and sat in your lap with a book.

“Read with me?” she asked. You looked at the time, it was 8:30 already.

“You tired?”

She nodded and got down, going to her room and waiting for you to follow. You closed her door and got the book she wanted you to read to her, L. Frank Baum’s  _Wizard of Oz_.

“Jeez, El, I haven’t read this in years.” you chuckled.

She nods, getting comfortable in her bed.

You began the story, and as 9 hit, she was already asleep soundly. You kissed her forehead, left the book on the nightstand, turned off the light and went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes and put away the food. Your mom was in the living room, watching TV and nearly sleeping herself, while Hopper was helping clean.

“We’re talking about this.”

You turned to him, “What do you wanna talk about?”

“ _This boy_ , (Y/N).”

“You know, he’s not a bad guy. He’s just stupid.” you turn back to the dishes, shaking your head.

“We’re not stupid in this family.”

You turned your head to him, “Yeah? Well, you’re acting really stupid about this whole situation, Jim.”

He sighed, “I just care about you, kid. That Hargrove boy is in and out of fights, in and out of tickets, not to mention the times I’ve had to take him home.”

“Do you ever consider he’s got shit going on?” Hopper stayed silent, staring at you, “He didn’t choose to be this way, Uncle Jim. He’s not just the mistakes he makes, he’s hurting and scared. He just needs something non-toxic.”

Hopper nods, and for the rest of the night, the two of you are silent, until you say your goodbyes at the door, and walk your sleepy mother out of the house and into the car.

You’d woken up your mother and brought her to bed, giving her medications and reminding her she had an appointment the following morning. When you went back to your room, you heard a tapping at your window, Billy sitting there, exhausted and beaten. You quickly opened the window and let him in, Billy going straight into your arms and giving a shaky sigh.

“What happened?!”You asked, pulling his head up gently to meet his gaze. The bottom of his eye was swelling shut, but you had a feeling it was worse than that.

“Oh, Billy…” you looked at his face, tears already streaming down his cheek, and kissed his forehead, “Did he hurt you anywhere else?”

Billy simply nodded and lifted up his shirt, revealing already purple and blue bruises appearing on his ribcage and fading onto his back. You sat him down on his bed, telling him you’d be back, but he grabbed your wrist and with pleading eyes begged you to not leave.

“ _Please_. I don’t wanna be alone.” he whimpered.   
“I’ll be back, I’m just getting you some stuff to help you.”

“You’re all the help I need, just please don’t leave baby.”

You nodded, sitting down on the bed with him and gently running your hand through his hair. He was holding back any tears or emotion now, a blank stare on his face as he sat forward, elbows on his knees.

“Billy.” he looked at you with the same expression on his face, “Let it out.”

And he did. Sobs wracked his body violently as he explained the fight with his father, this one far worse before because Susan wasn’t there. You nodded the entire time, lending him the tissue box that was on your bedside table. When he was done explaining, you gently grabbed him by the opposite side of his face and pulled him closer, kissing the cheek that was facing you. He sighed, visibly calming down, and turned to hug you. You were surprised; Billy Hargrove didn’t hug, but now all he wanted was to be held in caring arms.

“I’m gonna go get the stuff real quick, okay?”

He nodded, letting you leave to retrieve the ace bandages and aloe vera.

“I’m gonna put this stuff on you okay? It’ll cool you down and heal you faster,” you say, putting some light music on. He nodded, letting you rub the aloe under his swollen eye. His eye had a popped blood vessel, making it look violently red.

“Take off your shirt.”

Billy smirked, “Damn, okay.” he tried to lighten the mood.

“Don’t start being cheeky when you look like shredded ass, Hargrove.” you scolded jokingly. In reality, you were glad to see the Billy Hargrove who made jokes and played and teased. You finished rubbing the aloe on his ribs and back, then wrapped his torso in the long ace wrap.

“Dance with me,” you said quietly, standing up and holding your hand out. He looked at you incredulously.

“I don’t know how.”

You smiled, “It’s okay, just sway with me. Nothing special.”

He got up, cautiously putting his hands on your waist and getting close to you. You put your arms on his pectorals, laying your head in between and listening to his heart before kissing his chest.

“Thank you.”

“You know you don’t always have to thank me after I help you, right?” you looked up.

He met your gaze, “Yeah I do.”

“Why?”

“Because one day you’re not gonna be here.”

You furrowed your brows, “What do you mean?”

“You’re too good for me, (Y/N).” he sighed, “I mean, look at what you’ve done these past few days.”

“Billy, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” you pet his cheek and he leans down to kiss you softly. He grabs your face in both of his hands before breaking the kiss and dragging you to bed. At first you thought he was going to turn your small lovely night into something more inappropriate, but instead, he just held your back against his chest, intertwining your legs and kissing the back of your neck.

“G’night Billy.”

“Goodnight baby.”


	7. Six

The night had been a long one. You’d started your art outline finally, it beginning to look suspiciously like the boy who was laying in your bed, head on your stomach and tracing tiny patterns onto the uncovered skin of your slightly lifted shirt.

“Why don’t you talk about your dad?” Billy asked as you ran your hands through his hair. Tonight he’d come over, beaten up by his father, knuckles bruised from a different fight.

You shrugged, “You never asked. It’s touchy anyway.”

Billy sat up on your bed, resting his back on your headboard.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure everything out, I guess.” you gave a sigh, “Yeah. I’ll talk about it.”

“You don’t have to, (Y/N).” he shook his head. The two of you sat quietly for a while, and with a shaky breath in an attempt to calm yourself.

“My mom and I were sick. Really, really sick.” you started, gaining Billy’s attention, “So he went to the store to get us some over the counter meds. And he just… Never came back.”

Billy held your hand, staying still. You kept your gaze lowered as tears welled in your eyes, preparing to say the next line. However, when you started, your voice gave you away by cracking.

“Hopper and his team looked everywhere, and he wound up dead in a ditch with our car. The car was trashed. All of our stuff was taken. Animals had already gotten to him, so we couldn’t even have an open casket funeral for him.”

Tears had begun to fall from your eyes as you looked at Billy, your lip quivering. He didn’t know how to react, concern etched into his bruised face.

“Billy, I miss him so much.” you sobbed, bringing your hands up to hide your face. Billy cuddled closer to you, kissing your temple, “Sometimes I can’t sleep because I never got to say goodbye, I never got to see his face before he left and died. I still don’t know if he’d gotten into a car accident or if someone killed him. I cry over my fucking  _shrine_  of him, I Iost most of my friends, I missed so much school, I don’t know what to do without him.”

You were in full sobs, words barely spilling out of your mouth, “And now mom’s got cancer.” you threw your hands in the air, smiling paradoxically, “How  _great_  is that? At first, it was 4 years expectancy, then it was a year, now it’s down to half a year. What am I gonna do, Billy?! I can barely fucking afford the medicine they have her on, let alone the cost of chemo and radiation. I’m already working two jobs. She’s all the family I have left!”

“What about Hopper?” he asked softly, wiping your tears.

“He’s not even my real uncle. He takes care of mom and me.” you looked down at your hands.

“Look at me, (Y/N).” he says, “Hopper  _is_  family. Even if it’s not by blood or anything, he’s still your uncle.”

You nod, giving a shaky breath and moving to lay on his chest. The two of you laid there for a while, in a comfortable silence, eventually falling asleep.

* * *

Since that night, Billy had begun taking care of you more. You’d now been seeing Billy for a while; weeks quickly turned into months, and as of now it was a total of three, you realized as you’d first went on that date with Billy back in September. The voice in the back of your head was picking at you. Billy had never once called your relationship official and acted like he didn’t care, but got defensive when you’d be asked out by other guys. You knew it wasn’t fair to you, and you knew he wouldn’t fix things. You had so much to talk to him about; why didn’t he ever go to the police about his dad? What the hell were you two?

He’d decided to visit you, like he did most nights, and climbed through your window.

“Hey princess.” he smiled. Unlike most of the times he’d visit, he didn’t have any wounds this time. You greeted him back, watching him stumble over his feet and almost falling. You snorted at him, earning a teasing glare.

“How are you?” he asked, leaning down to kiss you. You shrugged.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Billy sat down on your bed next to you, clasping his hands in his lap.

You breathed in, “What are we, Billy?” you turned to look at him.

His brows furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“You come in every night and we kiss and sleep in the same bed, but at school, you act like nothing’s happening. What’s up with that?”

Billy took a while to think of his response, but you knew it wasn’t going to be good.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re a beautiful person, Billy. You’re just too involved in your own self-loathing to see it.” you started, “Are you scared of commitment?” you asked. Billy gave a tense glare, “Are you scared of opening up?”

“ _Shut up_ ,” he said quietly.

“You’ve already opened up, are you scared that something’s gonna happen where you’re not in control? Is that what you need?  _Control_?”

“ _Shut the fuck up, (Y/N)!!_ ” he stood, face angry, hands in fists. You squared up to him.

“Billy, do you understand that there’s no control in your life and when it’s handed to you, you can’t even fucking _look at it?_  How many times have I asked you if you wanted to go to Hopper? How many times am I going to have to ask?”

“I don’t need this from you.” he chuckled, slipping his shoes back on.

“Billy, I care about you, you fucking  _moron_! I want to help!”

Billy quickly spun to you, pointing a finger at himself, “I don’t need help. I need understanding. And I thought you could give that to me.” he stepped back, staring you down, before running a hand through his hair, “You know what your problem is, (Y/N)? You’re a _nice girl_ , who has  _nice grades_ , and some  _nice friends_ , but you try and fix everything. What you don’t fucking understand, is that I’m not some shit to be fixed! I was  _fine_  until you came around. “

“Billy,  _nothing_  about domestic violence is  _fine_!” you yelled back, beginning to cry. You knew where this was headed, he was going to walk out. You  _knew_  it.

“I really don’t need this from you- no. you know what? I don’t need  _you_.” he growled, and just as you knew, he was storming out through your door before you knew it. Your sobs collected through your body, and almost instinctively you walked to your mom's room.

She was already sitting up in bed, arms held out to you. You ran to her, sobbing, “Mama.”

Your mother quietly shushed you and rubbed your back as you cried into her chest, laying on your dad’s side of her bed.

“Why does it hurt so much?!” you whined, clutching her shirt.

You felt her shake her head, “You already know why, baby.”

You knew you did, but at the end of the day, the two of you had broken up (could it even be considered a breakup?). And you didn’t know how to process it.


	8. Seven

You were a wreck, to say the least. The past week had been so shitty and lonely you couldn’t comprehend it. How could you? You’d already developed feelings for Billy Hargrove, and you thought he had done the same. Assumedly now, not.

This is why you didn’t date. All guys ever did was take your heart out and push it down your throat.

“Maybe I should just prostitute myself,” you mumbled to Jonathan. He sat on your floor, helping you with the homework and schoolwork you’d missed the past week.

He chuckled, “I really don’t think that’s the best solution, (Y/N).”

“Yeah, but then it wouldn’t feel so shitty.”

Jonathan turned to you, “You really like him, don’t you?”

Your eyes brimmed with tears, and you nodded.

“I can’t even finish my fucking art project because it’s inspired by him.”

Tears spilled from your eyes as you tried to hide them by wiping them with your sweater.

“Have you tried talking to him?”

You shook your head, “I’d rather not be embarrassed at school.”

* * *

Billy stood in his room, his knuckles bleeding from punching the wall, the mirror, and the door. His parents weren’t home, so it meant he was stuck babysitting Max. She, of course, walked in nervously, examining the destruction of the room.

“Get out, Max,” he growled.

“Are you okay?” she asked cautiously.

“Get. Out.” he lowered his voice, stepping closer to his stepsister.

“Are you really gonna go back to this? After you’d started being nice to me _for once_?”

“MAX GET THE  _FUCK_  OUT!!!” tears ran out of his eyes as he huffed in air. She shook her head and stepped forward, hugging him. And that’s when he finally broke down. He wrapped his arms around little Max, sobbing.

He told Max everything. Not purposefully, but she was the one person there to listen to him. He told her about the relationship he had with (Y/N), the fight, the things he said… Eventually, he passed out on his bed after Max reassured him and went to bed herself. He woke up to Jonathan knocking on his door.

“What are you doing here,” he said gruffly.

“Listen, I know you don’t like me or anything, but please talk to her.”

“Who?” he crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame.

“(Y/N). Listen, she’s really messed up, okay? And you look pretty shitty. No offense.” he chuckled cautiously.

Billy thought about it for a bit, “Yeah. Thanks, man.” he said quietly and dismissed Jonathan.

* * *

You groaned when the doorbell rang. It was too early for a Saturday morning and god forbid if you had to leave the comfort of your bed. Your mother wasn’t home; she was at Hopper’s house watching El. Meaning you had to get out of bed and go to the door in nothing but the too-short sleeping shorts and old band t-shirt you wore. You didn’t even care because if that bell rang one more  _fucking_  time you’d lose your shit.

You quickly made your way downstairs and slammed the door open, revealing him.

And he was fucked up. More than you.

“What do you want, Billy.”

“Baby, I-”

“I’m not your fucking baby.” you interrupted, growling.

He sighed exasperatedly, running his hands over his face “Can I talk to you?”

“Billy, what are you trying to accomplish?”

His mouth opened to respond but didn’t.

“ _You_ fucked up.  _You_  said you don’t need me.  _You_  made me feel like shit.  _You_  made me skip a week of fucking school because it was too hard to see you.  _You_  did that.  _All of it_.” you said sternly, pointing at him.

His jaw clenched, “I know.”

“Then why are you here?!”

He ran his hand through his hair, “Because I  _do_  need you! I’m a piece of shit but you helped me be something better than I am.” his hands went to cup your face and he got closer to you, “I’m just… really fucking scared. You’re the first person I want to stay with longer than a night, and you make me feel shit I don’t understand and it just… really,  _really_  scares me, (Y/N).”

Your eyes started to water and a tear fell, Billy immediately wiping it away with his thumb.

“I,” Billy sighed, “Jeez, (Y/N), I think I really love you.”

You laughed, more tears spilling out of your eyes, earning a smile from Billy.

“I think I really love you too, Billy.”

Billy leaned down and kissed you, softer and more passionate than the ones before. You pulled away and hugged him tightly.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

**(Nsfw)**

The two of you made your way to your room, kissing more by the minute and holding onto each other tighter. Billy kicked the door closed and gripped your hips harder. He let go to take off his jacket as you unbuttoned his shirt partly before he went ahead and pulled it over his head. Your hands went to his face again, his hands gripping your hips again and pushing you toward your bed before collapsing. You two laughed breathlessly and kissed again. He slid his hands down your body and linked his fingers around the waistband of your shorts. Billy looked at you, a silent question of if he could take them off. You nodded, pulling him back down to you as he slid your shorts down your thighs, and slowly the rest of his and your own clothes were disregarded. You stopped him, putting a hand on his chest.

“Did I do something wrong?” he immediately asks.

You chuckle, “No, not at all. I’m getting a condom.”

You reach for your drawer but Billy finishes the job, grabbing a tin-encased condom and opening it, sliding it on slowly.

It wasn’t that Billy was obnoxiously big, he was average sized, as far as you could tell. But your experience with boys was little to none until Billy Hargrove came along. And he understood it.

“Tell me to stop if anything feels too scary or hurts, okay?” he looked into your eyes, bringing a hand up to pet your cheek. You nodded, and with that Billy slotted himself between your legs as you spread your legs wider, allowing him to get where he wants- where you  _both_  wanted him. He lined himself up and oh so slowly and gently pushed into you carefully, bringing his hand back to your face. It wasn’t as bad as some had said,  _yes_  it was uncomfortable, but it subsided eventually. Even without your word, Billy stopped once his hips were flushed with yours, his breathing heavy and strained, his forehead against your shoulder.

“You can move.” you whispered into his ear, “ _Please_.”

He kissed your neck and gently moaned into it as he pulled out halfway, and pushed back in. And it felt  _good_. Your hands went to his back as you held in a soft moan. Everything you felt was heightened; the little breaths on your neck in between kisses, the way his teeth scraped against your skin, how rough his fingers were but acted so nicely against the side of your breast, and how he pushed into you like you’d break. He lifted himself up more, cupping your cheek and petting it with his thumb as he supported his weight with his other hand. His face dropped closer to yours, kissing you harder.

“I love you,” he whispered against your lips.

“I love you too.”

**(end of nsfw)**

The two of you had calmed down, your duvet around the both of you, your limbs tangled together as you began falling asleep; something Billy had already done, the poor thing. You looked at his face, so peaceful and loving and filled with past pains. His eyes still had bags under them, and now that you were only a few inches away from his face, give or take, you could see the tiny fractures in his nose from being in fights. You noticed things you hadn’t noticed before, like how he had a tiny silver scar on his cheekbone and how long his eyelashes were.

You fumbled around the bed, stealing his undershirt and pulling your underwear back on before getting up with no intention of going to your art piece, but ending there anyway. You found yourself picking up a pencil and drawing through the night and as the sun rose you heard Billy shuffle in bed and groan. You smiled lightly.

“What’re you up to? He said sleepily, dragging his pants back on.

“Sketching out the rest of my art project.”

“Why does it look like me holding flowers?” he staggered next to you and plopped down.

You snorted, “Because it is. Sooner or later there’s gonna be a cute bee next to you if I can get the damn legs right.”

“Let me rephrase;” he chuckled, “ _Why_  am I your art project,”

“You inspire me.”

He pushed you with his shoulder, “You from Wisconsin?”

You frowned, “What the hell, no, why?”

“Cause you’re cheesy.”

You groaned, “Your dad jokes are cheesy.”

You finished the bee and sat back, looking at it. He kissed your cheek and mumbled something about breakfast.

“We can go get donuts?” you offered. He shook his head.

“Nope. You’re getting something special.”

He grabbed his keys from his pocket, put on his button up, and said he’d be back as you got up and grabbed some oil colors. Everything was coming together bit by bit. You started at the bruise and scrape on his face, then made your way through the rest of his skin, breaking after his eyes and eyelashes. You heard Billy come in the house, the voice of your mother springing with it. Quickly you put on your own clothes, discarding Billy’s shirt in exchange for your own and slipped on some sleep pants. You came down the stairs, your mother had coffee in hand and Billy was busy on the stove, the both of them making you smile. You walked to your mom, kissing her cheek and reminding her of her medication lightly in her ear and helped her out of her chair so she could retrieve it from her bedroom. Walking up to Billy, who still had his back turned to you, you pressed your hands against his back and rubbed it, kissing the little nook in between his shoulder blades.

“Hey princess.” he tossed, turning his head to you and kissing the top of your head.

“Is Billy Hargrove making me French toast?” you smiled, knowing the smell.

“He sure is.”

You sat at the table after retrieving a cup of coffee and perfecting it to the way you liked.

“John was good at making it too.” your mother said absentmindedly as she came back downstairs.

“Was he now?” Billy smiled lightly at the two of you, dishing the food onto plates with sides of bacon and egg. She nodded, retrieving her plate and covering the food in maple syrup. Billy laughed as he watched you do the same thing.

“(Y/N), you shoul brin ‘im to famiwy Cwrithmath!” your mother said happily, mouth full with food.

“Ma, don’t talk with your mouth full!” you laughed at her.

“Waths wog wif dat?” Billy joked, mouth full. You smacked him upside the head and gave him a napkin as all three of you laughed.

The rest of the time was spent chatting away and eating before your mom went upstairs to either nap or do some laundry, but you felt it was the former. You and Billy cleaned up together, listening to some soft Elvis and singing along quietly. Billy still seemed to surprise you; he had a nice voice, not choir boy or anything, but he did remind you of a high pitched Johnny Cash, or your dad, but you brushed that off to the side and finished drying the dish you were on.

“So, would you like to come? To family Christmas?” you asked softly. Billy hugged you from behind, kissing your temple.

“Yeah baby, of course.”

“As my boyfriend?” you questioned, turning in his hold to face him.

“Ain’t that what I am anyway?” he smirked, tucking hair behind your ear, making you smile. He moved your hand to his shoulder and placed a hand on your waist, grasping your hand in his other one lightly and began swaying dorkily.

“You suck at dancing you know that?” you said, laughing.

“Shut up, I’m trying my best,” he whined, wrapping both arms around your waist and lowering his head to lay on your shoulder. You brought a hand to the back of his head and played with the little curls as the two of you swayed.

“I love you, (Y/N).”

“I love you too, Billy.”


	9. Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Y/F/I)= Your first initial.

Billy had slowly brought some of his own possessions into the guest room; a couple of outfits, some sleepwear and underwear, cologne, even a toothbrush and hair products.

“You use  _Farrah Fawcett_?” you said, trying to not laugh.

“Shut up.” He groaned, running his hands through his hair.

“You know who else uses that? Steve.”

You saw Billy roll his eyes from the mirror as you came up and rubbed his back.

“You look nice, Billy,” you said, kissing his cheek and smiling. He turned his head to kiss you sweetly, holding his lips to yours longer than anticipated.

“What’s that for?” you asked, fluttering your eyes open.

“Luck,” he smirked.

“Baby, you’re good. If Jim doesn’t like you then that’s his fault.”

He gave you a solemn smile as you fixed his collar, “You have the presents, right?”

“They’re under the tree.”

“Okay, you get them, I’ll get Mom in the car.”

You nodded, smiling as he left the bathroom. Your mom was no longer “Mary” or “Your Mom” to Billy anymore. She was  _his_ mom too, and the thought of that made you happier than you expected. You noticed he was increasingly more loving towards Maxine, it was sweet to see him accept his sister for who she is. He was goofier, more laid-back,  _definitely_  not as aggressive.

You gathered the presents in a bag and carried them to Billy’s car as he helped your mom into the car. He closed the door and finished bringing out the rest of the presents for you.

You sighed, “She’s getting worse.”

Billy didn’t know how to reply, so he grabbed your hand and kissed your knuckles, giving you a comforting smile before leading you into the passenger seat and then getting into the driver's side.

“WAIT I FORGOT YOUR PRESENT!!!” Billy yelled, getting out and awkwardly running through the snow back inside, making you and your mom laugh.

“That boy is a lot happier now, (Y/N). He’s got energy back in his body. He’s a kiddo again.” You mother said quietly, smiling at him, “You better marry him.”

You choked, “Ma, We’ve been dating for what, 4 months?!”

She laughed, “Honey, no one’s gonna question it. You belong together.”

You cast your eyes downward, smiling. Billy got back into the car and kissed your cheek giddily.

“Your nose is cold!” you laughed and pushed him away.

* * *

The three of you pulled up to Hopper’s house, watching him and El have some sort of snowball fight, minus Jim actually throwing snow and instead scream-laughing for El to stop.

“Hey guys!” you laughed. El dropped her snow and ran up to hug you.

“Christmas!” she smiled.

“Yeah, hon!”

You came into the small cabin, setting the presents down under their small tree, then sitting next to Billy and wrapping a blanket around yourselves. Billy placed a hand on your knee and kissed your temple as El opened her presents since she was the youngest. You were next, opening up your present from Eleanor, who gave you a family picture of her and Hop, as well as a small stuffed bear. Hopper gave you your present, which was Doc Martens.

“Yours don’t protect from the snow, so I just thought-”

“It’s good, they’re good uncle Jim.” you smiled, getting up and hugging him, “Thank you.”

Your mom gave you some bathroom stuff, knee-high socks, jewelry, and candles.

“I actually wanna give yours outside, if you guys don’t mind. You can see it later, I promise.”

You scrunched your eyebrows and followed Billy out the front door. He lit up a cigarette and handed you a carefully wrapped box, a red velvet bow on the top of it. You opened it with care, revealing a black box. You opened the box, revealing a beautiful locket engraved with a B and (Y/F/I) on one side and an M and J on the other. Inside was a smaller version of a Polaroid you had taken with Billy on one side, and on the other side was your mother and father. Your eyes watered as you looked at Billy. He smiled at you and asked if you wanted help putting it on, you nodded. He moved your hair back, kissing your neck and clipping the locket around your neck.

“Merry Christmas, Princess.”

You turned and cupped his face, kissing him as a tear fell down your cheek, “I love it, Billy, thank you.”

He wiped your tears with his thumb and kissed your nose, “Let’s get you back inside.”

“What’d you get?” El asked excitedly, then gently grasped the locket, looking at it.

“It’s beautiful.” you mother remarked.

Hopper got up, pulling Billy aside and conversed with him, ending in a hug and a smiling Billy.

Hopper and Mary opened their own presents while Billy hung out with your cousin after opening his, ending in her roughhousing with him and he acting like he wasn’t having fun with El climbing all over him, but you knew better. This was  _your_  family, no one else’s, and you loved each and every one of them.

* * *

You made your way home, saying goodbye to Hopper and tucking Eleanor in as the night ended. When you got home, you helped your mom upstairs as Billy grabbed the presents out of his car. The two of you met in your room, Billy laying next to you and kicking off his shoes before rolling on top of you and scooting down to rest his head on your stomach.

He kissed your tummy as you played with his hair.

“I love you so much,” he mumbled, gripping your sides gently.

“I love you too Billy.” you smiled gently.

He stayed quiet as you two simply laid there until your hand got caught in his hair.

“Owww,  _(Y/N)_!”

“Give me my hand back!” you laughed as your hand slowly unraveled from his hair. He rubbed his head, groaning.

“I swear I’m gonna cut all of my hair off.”

“Nope, you’re not allowed to.”

“Why not?”

You gave a sly smirk, “What else am I gonna hold onto when you’re-”

“Shhhh!” he laughed, reaching up to kiss you, rubbing your ribcage with his fingertips.

“I can cut your hair if you really want it.”

He looked at you, “Really?”

“Yeah,” you started, tracing your fingers over his face, “I’ve been wanting to give myself bangs anyway, let’s go.” you smiled, pushing him up.

Billy grabbed your desk chair and pulled it to your bathroom as you brought out an electric razor and scissors.

“I’m scared.” he chuckled nervously.

“Don’t be.” you smiled, placing his head straight, “Now don’t move.”

You brought a hair tie and wrapped it around the top of his hair, sectioning it, before turning the razor on and shaving the sides of his head down to a 4 and trimming the top of his head so his curls rested just above his eyebrows.

“All done.” you smiled, turning him around.

“God damn, baby girl, you’re good.”

You shrugged, “I know.”

You cut your hair a bit, giving yourself baby bangs before stripping down and showering.

“Woah wait can I join?” Billy called after you, kicking his jeans off giddily.

* * *

The two of you fell asleep in your bed, Billy not admitting to cuddling you, which he  _totally_  and  _completely_  did. When you woke up, you finished the painting of Billy and ran by the post office to drop it off for awaiting colleges and made your way back home, picking up donuts and cups of coffee for the three of you.

The day was quiet and spent with the two people you loved, the night was filled with loving friends and trading gifts, the entire gang coming over, making hot chocolate and eating cookies while telling stories of their time with their family, everyone ended up staying the night, and you couldn’t be happier.


	10. Nine

Days turned lighter after Christmas as spring slowly began approaching. School started back up, and as you walked to the mailbox with Billy, nervousness sprang along your spine.

Billy rubbed your back, “What’s got you so worked up?”

You looked at him and smiled nervously, “I applied to three of the best art colleges in America with the portrait I did of you, Billy. I’m a little on edge.”

“Which ones?”

“Academy of Art Uni, School Of Art Institute, and Julliard.”

“Wow, California, Illinois and New York?”

You nodded, reaching the mailbox, gathered the mail, and made your way back to your house. When you came back, you handed the three letters from the colleges to Billy, you and your mom sitting together as you bit on your nails. Billy slowly opened the letters, not showing any emotion before handing them to you, “I think you should read them.”

And you did, concern slowly turning into excitement as you screamed and ran around the kitchen, “I GOT ACCEPTED TO ALL THREE!”

Your mom got up and hugged you excitedly, then you turned to Billy and kissed him hard. He pulled you into a tight and warm hug, kissing your forehead, “I knew you’d get in.” he mumbled against your skin.

“Celebratory dinner?” your mom asked sweetly, coughing a little.

You looked at her as blood fell from her nose, “Mom?” she collapsed and you ran, “Mom?!”

She was unresponsive, “Billy start the car!” your voice broke, tears leaving your eyes as he slammed the door open and ran to his car.

* * *

It turned out that your mother had a brain hemorrhage, and… the odds weren’t in her favor. You sat at her hospital bed, her body on life support, crying and eventually passing out. You woke to Billy playing with your hair, his own eyes misty and red.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, his voice strained.

You shook your head, “She’s defied death since I was little. She was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease when I was 14, Billy. She’s in pain.”

You began sobbing, and Billy let his own tears out, “What do you want to do about it?”

“I don’t know.”

The doctor came in, asking for you to come into the hallway.

“I’m sorry, Miss (Y/L/N).”

You nod, clearing your face and wrapping your arms around your body.

“She’s going to die unless I can keep her on life support, right?” you asked lowly, the doctor nodded.

“Can I make a call?”

“Yes, of course.”

You followed him to the phone and dialed Hopper.

“Hello?” Jim’s tired voice picked up.

“Uncle Jim, it’s momma. She, uh, she’s bad again.” your voice cracked. “Can you come to the hospital?”

He sighed, “Yeah, kid. I’ll be there in a minute.”

You walked back to your mom’s room, breaking down at the sight of her, Billy coming to hug you but you pushed him away, “Get off of me.”

He insisted though, hugging you tightly and sobbing into your shoulder as you cried harder. Hopper walked in with El, watching the two of you cry. You left Billy and hugged Hopper, mentioning the situation, “I’m gonna ask them to pull the plug after we say goodbye.”

He looked at you incredulously, “Are you sure kid? This is a big decision.”

You nod, “She’s not coming back, Uncle Jim. It’s not her anymore. Just her body, you know?” you sniffled, head pounding from crying. He nodded, wrapping your arms around your body.

Your uncle and cousin said goodbye to Mary, Jim having to explain what was happening and what happens to a person when they pass away, as Eleanor didn’t fully understand. Billy stood in the back, arms folded, occasionally coming up to wipe his eyes.

“I’ll meet you at your house, kid,” Hop mentioned to you, walking out with a solemn El, who hugged you and scattered away. Billy didn’t say anything as he passed you and kissed your mother’s forehead, whispering lightly in her ear before leaving you and your mother alone. You quietly sat next to her, holding your hand.

“Hey, Mama.” you smiled, tears falling from your eyes at a much calmer pace, “I’m, uh, not sure, about this. Any of this. You’re not supposed to lose your parents like this, you know?” your crying became harder, as you attempted to keep control, “What am I supposed to do? I’m not an adult, I’m not able to take care of myself, and what about Billy? We’re just now getting on our feet, what happens to him if I go to college, Mom?

“I’m sorry about that time I yelled at you. And that time I told you I hated you. And how I told you to leave me alone. I didn’t mean it.”

Sobs racked your body, making your ribs feel like they were collapsing and throat raw, “I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry.”

You leaned to your mother’s body, hugging her hand closely as you gasped for breath, “I’m gonna make you proud, Mama. I’m gonna get a job, I’m gonna marry Billy like you told me, I’m gonna start a family. I’m gonna be okay,” you sniffled, “You and Dad are gonna be there to walk me down the aisle, right? I know you will.” you smiled.

“I love you.” you kissed her forehead and sat there, watching the light slowly dim outside as the sun set. You talked to her about what you’re going to do, reminisced the good memories, and finally, told her goodbye, holding her hand as the doctor walked in.

“I’m ready.”

“Are you sure, (Y/N)? You’ve said everything you wanted?”

“I know she’ll hear me later if I need to talk to her, Doc.” you smiled, wiping tears, “You can pull it.”

And he did, walking to the only thing keeping her heart beating, and unplugged everything, switching off your mother’s body as you walked out to a waiting Billy Hargrove.

“Let’s go home,” you said quietly, telling him you’d plan the funeral after some sleep.

* * *

No sleep was had that night, Billy clung onto you after crying himself to sleep after talking about the mild needs for funeral arrangements with Hopper as El and Billy cuddled on the couch and watched a movie. You’d made yourself known to death, understanding she wasn’t returning, but not hearing her cough in the middle of the night was so strange, as unfriendly as it sounded. There wasn’t any more “take your meds Mama.” or “What’s for dinner?”… it was quiet, even though you could hear Jim snoring loudly in the guest room and hear El shuffle downstairs on the couch, it was still quiet. You made your way to the kitchen, deciding coffee would help some.

As you sat with your cup, you heard El shuffle and sit next to you.

“Hey kiddo.” you smile sadly at her, she returning it.

“My Mama is gone too.” she attempted to sympathize, but it only made you break down. She looked almost panicked, before realizing she knew what you needed. She took you by the hand and dragged you to the couch, sitting down and making you lay your head in her lap as you cried. She played with your hair gently, watching you calm down and eventually fall asleep.

* * *

The funeral was beautiful… for a funeral. It was still sad, and most of the people who’d come were from town who knew the lovely little woman that was your mother. The burial was hard, signifying that she was actually gone, but still, it was beautiful. Both Billy and your uncle were pallbearers, both handsome in their suits and strong-appearing emotionally. Dinner after was nice, all hand cooked or specially catered by people who knew your mom. You kept come of the flowers and set them to dry when you got home with Billy, slipping off your heels and rubbing your face. Billy wrapped his arms around you and kissed your shoulder lightly before resting his head on it.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	11. Ten

You promised yourself after the fact that things were going to get easier; and if they wouldn’t, you’d make them. Which a couple times you had to.

Graduation came by quicker than you anticipated, and the after party had gone well. You experienced Billy and Steve actually getting along, though you could tell how uncomfortable it made them at times.

But now, now you were in the car, headed to California with Billy. The goodbyes to El and Jim were sad, you had to say, as well to your mother’s grave. You promised you’d visit them, everyone in Hawkins.

“We’re gonna be okay, babe,” Billy says, more assuring himself than you. You nod anyway, intertwining your finger with his as they lay on your lap.  The windows were rolled down and he’d turned on an older 40’s song on as you’d laid your back against the door, leaning your head out of the open window as you said goodbye to Indiana. Billy switched his hand from your grip to rest on your bare knee instead after he brought your legs up to rest on his lap. It’d been 2 days since you’d been on the road; the man in the trailer behind you following closely.

“Only 4 more hours.” Billy smiles, turning the volume down so you could hear him. You nodded, excited.

Your mother’s house had gone up for sale. You’d sold everything you and Billy knew you wouldn’t need for a two bedroom, one story house. It was nice, downsizing. Not something you’d been used to, but a change was always a good start into something better.

* * *

**5 years later, Christmas time**

The past years had been long, but not so much as hard as everyone had said. “High school sweethearts never make it” people had said. But here you were, cleaning up after the family winter holidays with Jim. Your fiance (he’d finally been able to get you a ring and proposed last Christmas) was sprawled out on the couch, your little girl clutching to her father as A Christmas Story played. El, who was now an eighteen-year-old girl, cleaned the packaging of the presents while Jim helped you with the kitchen. He bumped his hip into yours, noticing your calm stare towards Billy and Maisy (named after her aunt, Maxine).   
“Go. I got this kiddo.” he smiles kindly at you. You nod in return, heading to little Maisy and picking her up gently and taking her to her bedroom. She not only took after her father hair-wise but sleep wise as well. You often smiled at how soundly she could sleep, even as she was picked up and shuffled around.

After tucking her in and kissing her forehead, you made your way back to your lover, petting back his hair and leaning down to kiss his forehead.

“Billy.” you whisper, his body stirring to your voice, “Baby, come on, get up. It’s time for bed, hon.” you say softly before reaching his eyes as he lazily looked around before tiredly getting up and staggering his way to your shared bedroom. You smiled, playing with your engagement ring before looking at the silver moonstone and diamond ring. It was engraved with something you’d said long ago, that he’d held onto since the same morning after you two had first had sex.

“You inspire me.”

Even thinking about it at this point makes your heart flutter and tears well up. You jumped when Jim placed a hand on your shoulder.

“You’re doing good for that boy, and I have to admit, he’s doing the same for you too.” he smiles through his mustache. You nod, looking back down to your ring.

“He lets me know everything’s gonna be okay. And I can’t thank him enough for that,” you say slowly, appreciating how you felt uncomfortable without your ring, and how it hugged your finger with ease, like Billy had studied your hands so long by holding them he just knew your size, the way a ring should wrap around your finger, the perfect fit and weight.

“Why moonstone?” he asked curiously, “Why not just diamond? Could he not afford it?”

“No, he could afford it, but, je t’aime à la lune et à l'arrière.”

He looked at you with confusion.

“I love you to the moon and back. It’s something he’d practiced for our two year anniversary in straight french.”

“What was your reply?” El asked, he hopeless romantic side getting the best of her. You laughed and looked at your feet, “I love you so much more than just to the moon and back.” you say softly, smiling. The two of them looked at each other, smiling.

“Well, we better get to our hotel. We have an early flight to catch in the morning.” Jim says, patting El’s back and leading her outside. You waved them off, saying your goodbyes with hugs and kisses before going back inside, reveling in the warmth of your home. You looked to the hallway, seeing your two-year-old, curly-haired daughter. You sighed, smiling before scooping her up, “Wanna sleep with Mama and Daddy?” you ask, gaining a grin and a bounce. You nod bringing her to your bedroom where Billy laid. He turned over, hearing your coos to Maisy in order to get her tired. He held his arms out for his baby, reaching out and holding her against his chest in the middle of your bed as you laid with them, curling up together.

“I love you, Hargrove,” you say softly, kissing the palm of his hand as he held onto your thigh over Maisy.

“I love you too, future Mrs. Hargrove.”


End file.
